Match-fixing has increased at an “extraordinary” rate across the world, a select committee of the House of Lords has been told, with organised crime networks even infiltrating chess as they look to launder proceeds from drug and human trafficking, according to the Guardian.
The House of Lords international agreements committee heard the testimony on Thursday as part of its scrutiny of the Macolin convention, described as the first and only international treaty on the manipulation of sports competitions.
The committee heard what the Guardian described as startling testimony about the rise of match-fixing, with the practice said to be spreading to sports such as chess and darts.
Evidence was given by Moses Swaibu, a former Crystal Palace academy player, who told the committee that “there is much more to be done” to tackle the problem.
The UK signed the Macolin convention in 2018 but has only recently brought it forward for ratification by parliament, according to the Guardian.
The convention represents the primary international framework for addressing the manipulation of sports competitions, and the committee’s scrutiny forms part of the process leading toward the UK’s ratification.
Why it matters
Match-fixing undermines the integrity of sport and, according to the testimony, provides a route for organised crime to launder money linked to serious crimes such as drug and human trafficking. How the UK ratifies and enforces the Macolin convention could shape efforts to combat manipulation across a growing range of sports.